LOS ANGELES – While several aspects of baseball are always changing, whether that is players changing teams or a rule change, some storylines just stay the same.
This is the case whenever Taylor Hearn of the Texas Rangers and J.P. Crawford of the Seattle Mariners ended up battling it out. On Thursday, it was no different. Crawford went 1-for-2 against Hearn, hitting a three-run home run in the process. In his career against Hearn, Crawford is 8-for-14, with a pair of home runs, along with six RBI.
Along with that home run to Crawford, Hearn had a night in which he will try and forget. He only pitched three innings, giving up four hits, four walks, and five runs to go with only four strikeouts. Even with Hearn’s subpar outing, the Rangers came back and won, 8-6. Crawford has been off to a hot start this season, as he has a batting average of .310, an OPS of .934, and a SLG percentage of .500. Crawford has 5 RBI so far. His home run against Hearn was his first of the season.
On the other hand, Hearn has had a very shaky start to his season. He’s pitched a total of three games this season, never making it farther than the fourth inning. Hearn has no wins and one loss this year, with a 7.59 ERA, and with 18 hits and six walks to only 14 strikeouts. But we know the potential to have commanding stuff is there.
Both Crawford and Hearn had to battle in order to get to where they are today.
Crawford was drafted out of Lakewood High School in Southern California, getting drafted 16th overall by the Philadelphia Phillies back in 2013. He was a high prospect in their organization, but due to an injury-plagued campaign, he was never really able to get the ball rolling in Philly. In late 2018, when Crawford was dealt to the Mariners, he finally got his feet planted, and has never looked back. During his time with the Mariners, Crawford is batting .258, with 19 home runs, and 129 RBI.
Hearn was originally drafted three times, in the 22nd, 25th, and 36th rounds, respectively. He chose to play college baseball at San Jacinto College and Oklahoma Baptist University instead, and it paid off. He was drafted by and signed with the Washington Nationals in the fifth round of the 2015 draft. Hearn was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016. In 2018, Hearn was traded to the Rangers. He made his MLB debut in 2019. He was a reliever at first, eventually transitioning into a starter. Over his career, Hearn has six wins and eight losses, with a career 5.02 ERA.
The Rangers and Mariners don’t play again until early June, so it’s unlikely to see the pair again this season. If they do end up squaring off again this year, will history repeat itself, or will there be a change in fortune?
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